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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Sports Med Int Open 2018; 02(02): E28-E34
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-124757
Training & Testing
Eigentümer und Copyright ©Georg Thieme Verlag KG 2018

A 9-Week Nordic and Free Walking Improve Postural Balance in Parkinson’s Disease

Leandro Tolfo Franzoni
1   Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Exercise Research Laboratory, Porto Alegre, Brazil
,
Elren Passos Monteiro
1   Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Exercise Research Laboratory, Porto Alegre, Brazil
,
Henrique Bianchi Oliveira
1   Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Exercise Research Laboratory, Porto Alegre, Brazil
,
Rodrigo Gomes da Rosa
1   Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Exercise Research Laboratory, Porto Alegre, Brazil
,
Rochelle Rocha Costa
1   Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Exercise Research Laboratory, Porto Alegre, Brazil
,
Carlos Rieder
2   Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre, Sleep and Movement Disorders Clinics, Division of Neurology, Porto Alegre, Brazil
,
Flávia Gomes Martinez
1   Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Exercise Research Laboratory, Porto Alegre, Brazil
,
Leonardo Alexandre Peyré-Tartaruga
1   Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Exercise Research Laboratory, Porto Alegre, Brazil
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

received 31 March 2017
revised 22 November 2017

accepted 29 November 2017

Publication Date:
08 January 2018 (online)

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Abstract

Aerobic training has a neuroprotective effect in people with Parkinson’s disease. Recent evidence indicates that Nordic walking seems a promising alternative due to positive outcomes in functional mobility. However, the effects of Nordic walking compared to free walking on static and functional balance parameters are still unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of nine weeks of Nordic and free walking training on static and functional balance. The sample size was 33 individuals with eight dropouts, leaving 25 individuals in the final sample (Nordic Walking, n=14, Free Walking, n=11). The participants underwent two evaluations in the present randomized clinical trial, pre- and post-training, to determine average velocity and root-mean-square values from center of pressure with eyes open and eyes closed. The functional balance showed approximately 5% improvement for the two groups (p=0.04). The results indicate that nine weeks of Nordic and free walking training were enough to induce improvements in the proprioceptive system and functional balance.

Key words

aerobic training - walking sticks - postural balance - Berg balance scale - locomotion
 

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